The office of the Israeli prime minister has informed the White House that it wishes to reschedule the meeting on the planned military operation in Rafah, on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, the NBC network reports, citing a top American official.

According to NBC, US and Israeli government officials are already looking for a date for the meeting.

The White House said last week it was willing to discuss with Israeli officials options to avoid a ground attack on Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who fled their homes since the outbreak of war have taken refuge on the besieged southern edge Palestinian enclave.

The cancellation of the visit is a “message” to Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today justified the cancellation of a planned visit by a high-ranking Israeli delegation to the United States, claiming that he wanted to send a message aimed at Hamas.

Netanyahu’s office estimated that the Palestinian Islamist movement was convinced that international pressure, following the recent UN Security Council resolution, would prevent Israel from continuing its operations aimed at freeing the hostages in the Gaza Strip and eliminating the Hamas.

Netanyahu said he wanted to make it clear to Hamas that it should not hope that international pressure will have an effect on Israel. “I hope they got the message,” he said.

In a resolution that is binding under international law, the UN Security Council on Monday called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip for the first time since the outbreak of war. In addition, he demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages still held by Hamas. The resolution was approved with 14 votes in favor and one abstention, that of the US, which chose not to exercise its right of veto.

Netanyahu reacted immediately, canceling the visit of the high-ranking Israeli delegation to Washington. Political analysts interpreted the decision as an angry reaction to the US decision not to block the resolution by vetoing it. “I think the US decision in the Security Council was a very bad move,” the Israeli prime minister said today.